"Don't let Qi Fu hear this, or I'm dead," Xu Ke said dryly.

Wong Qifu would surely tease him about when he had become so close with Wang Qiya. If these words reached Wong Qifu's ears, Zhou Qingzhi could forget about making a good impression on her. He, in turn, would have to bear Wong Qifu's "wrath."

"Understood, understood." Duan Chongfeng patted Xu Ke's uninjured shoulder. "Since you don't want to marry Zhou Yi Yi, you'd better think carefully about what you want."

Xu Ke nodded. "Alright, I get it."

However, it was a classic case of speak of the devil.

Xu Ke's phone rang. It was Zhou Qingzhi calling.

Xu Ke pointed to his phone screen. "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."

"Answer it. Let's see what he has to say," Duan Chongfeng urged, lifting his head.

Xu Ke answered the call. "Hello, President Zhou."

"No need to call me President Zhou, it sounds so distant. Just call me Uncle Zhou," Zhou Qingzhi said, attempting to close the gap in their relationship.

Xu Ke played along. "Then I'll gladly accept. It's an honor to have you as an uncle."

He had always planned to establish a good relationship with the Zhou Family, and changing his form of address was one way to do it.

"Haha, good," Zhou Qingzhi laughed heartily. "Right, do you need any more help with today's issues?"

"No, I'm fine," Xu Ke said gratefully. "Thank you for speaking up for me at the press conference and online."

The Zhou Family hadn't just asked Ouyang Zhou to step in; they had also supported him online. Xu Ke kept a mental note of all these favors.

Zhou Qingzhi was very pleased to see that Xu Ke understood what the Zhou Family had done for him behind the scenes.

The premise for offering help was that the person being helped must know you lent them a hand. Otherwise, the assistance would be meaningless. Doing good deeds anonymously was not Zhou Qingzhi's style.

But Zhou Qingzhi remained polite on the surface. "It's nothing, just a small effort."

"By the way, Doctor Xu, before my father went up the mountain, he instructed me to invite you over for another meal. Also, if you have any requests, feel free to make them.

"We originally agreed on three treasures, shares, medical skills, and so on.

"But Doctor Xu, you not only cured my father's illness but also solved a huge problem for us. So, as a token of our gratitude, my father and I have discussed it and decided to give you fifty-three percent of the shares of Yihe Pharmaceuticals straight away.

"The Zhou Family has just over twenty percent left. We can think of it as starting a joint venture, haha.

"The company's scale isn't massive, but as a welcoming gift, it should be substantial enough."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Ke's eyes widened.

Yihe Pharmaceuticals?! He remembered that Yihe Pharmaceuticals had a market value of about one billion… And while Zhou Qingzhi spoke of a joint venture, Xu Ke knew that owning over fifty percent meant he had absolute control!

"Isn't this too valuable..." Xu Ke laughed bitterly.

He had gotten the Dragon Ring for next to nothing, and now he had suddenly become the largest shareholder of Yihe Pharmaceuticals...

Zhou Qingzhi laughed loudly. "It's not too valuable. It's not like I gave you a billion in cash, so don't worry about it so much. We'll find a time to have a meal together and handle all the necessary procedures."

Seeing this, Xu Ke had no choice but to accept. "Alright!"

Zhou Qingzhi became even happier. "That's settled then. We are partners now."

Xu Ke nodded. "Pleasure doing business!"

"Alright, Uncle Zhou has to get busy now. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask. No need to be formal with me."

"Sure, Uncle Zhou!"

...

After Xu Ke hung up, Duan Chongfeng smiled. "You're in partnership now?"

With his Innate Martial Artist's hearing, he had naturally heard everything loud and clear, and Xu Ke had no intention of keeping it from him.

"I suppose so." Xu Ke stared at his phone, still a bit stunned.

He couldn't quite grasp the concept of having absolute control over a company with a market value of one billion...

"That's good. The purpose of me asking you to save Elder Master Zhou's life has finally begun to take shape." Duan Chongfeng nodded emphatically, followed by a hearty laugh. "However, Zhou Qingzhi and Elder Master Zhou are really playing a clever game. They even dare to poach someone from the Wang Family."

Xu Ke smiled.

They weren't fools. It was obvious that while Zhou Qingzhi claimed to be giving a company to Xu Ke, he was still holding onto a significant number of shares. If he truly wanted to give it away and sever all ties, he could have transferred all the shares to Xu Ke. That way, the Ye Family and the Huang Family wouldn't think the Zhou Family intended to maintain a cooperative relationship with him.

But Zhou Qingzhi didn't do that. This demonstrated that the Zhou Family wanted to keep a close cooperative relationship with Xu Ke in the future. Yihe Pharmaceuticals was just the beginning!

Duan Chongfeng couldn't help but admire Zhou Qingzhi. Wong Qifu hadn't even started gifting companies to Xu Ke yet. Yet Zhou Qingzhi had made a covert move, turning Xu Ke into the largest shareholder of Yihe Pharmaceuticals in just a few sentences.

Wasn't this a form of poaching? 'If my daughter can't be engaged to you, then I'll give you a company!'

...

Duan Chongfeng shrugged. "If the Duan Family hadn't made us agree not to take sides with these local families when they sent us to Tianhai, I would be trying to get you on board with our Dapeng Commerce Society right now.

"If you ask me, you should just come back to Long Capital with me. The opportunities for growth there are much greater than in Tianhai.

"That way, when I go back, I can just ask my old man to give you a few large companies, and you can come back to Tianhai with your head held high."

Xu Ke couldn't help but laugh. "Haven't I already boarded your ship?"

"But our relationship can't be brought to light."

Xu Ke wore a helpless expression. "Can you not make it sound so ambiguous?"

"Hahaha." Duan Chongfeng laughed heartily.

...

While Xu Ke and Duan Chongfeng were chatting, Zhou Qingzhi, who had hung up the phone, was also talking with Zhou Xiuyun.

"Did he agree?" Zhou Xiuyun's face was tinged with anticipation.

"He did!" Zhou Qingzhi revealed a smile.

Zhou Xiuyun immediately smiled, relieved. "That's good!"

Their intention to cooperate with Xu Ke was, in fact, quite obvious. They had been worried that Xu Ke wouldn't want to get entangled in the Zhou Family's interests. But now that he had agreed, a great weight was lifted from their hearts.

Zhou Qingzhi spoke. "Find a good time to have a meal with Doctor Xu. Bring Yi Yi, and also invite Qi Ya, so it doesn't seem too official.

"Once the shares of Yihe Pharmaceuticals are transferred, we can talk about what else he wants, and we'll see if we can accommodate him."

Zhou Xiuyun nodded, then remembered something. "Now that the Ye Family and the Huang Family have made it clear they're going to deal with Xu Ke and the Wang Family, should we be helping the Wang Family too?"

At her words, Zhou Qingzhi frowned. "The Ye Family, the Huang Family..." He tapped on the table, then slowly said, "Not so fast.

"They haven't shown their true colors yet, so there's no need for us to take sides at this moment.

"If it really comes to a critical moment for the Wang Family, it won't be too late for us to consider taking a stance.

"Moreover, giving help in a time of need is always more memorable."

Zhou Xiuyun nodded.

"Last night, Boss Duan told me that when Xu Ke cured his illness, he only asked for a set of shops in return. And yesterday, when he was short on cash, he only asked to borrow one million from Boss Duan.

"This is enough to show that this man is not greedy. He doesn't leverage favors to demand repayment and is very measured.

"For such a person to owe us a favor… our future return will definitely be more than worth it!"

A smile touched the corners of Zhou Qingzhi's mouth.

Zhou Xiuyun's eyes also showed a trace of satisfaction.

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